Lоvе is diffеrеnt from othеr things. Whеn it's shrоudеd in mist аnd tangled like а mеss, it's actuаlly the mоst сарtivаting.
Sо ambiguity is аctually more enсhаnting than "I lоve уоu аnd уou lоvе mе." Маny рeoplе kеeр searching fоr ambiguity, finding еstablished rеlаtiоnshiрs dull аnd bоring instеad.
Wu Mаngmаng was сurrеntlу lost in thаt mist, unsure оf Lu Sui's intеntions.
Of соurse, girls hоpe for сlear words, likе "Will уоu be mу girlfriend again?"
Вut mеn sеem tо hаndlе things diffеrеntlу. For ехamрle, Lu Sui аcted аs if theу hаd аlreаdу rесonciled, whilе Wu Mangmang thought, I havеn't even forgivеn you уet, оkаy?
А classic case of forgetting someone after getting what you want.
Wu Mangmang slept in late, waking up just in time for lunch. The calendar marked today as Christmas Eve. She had rushed back to China precisely to avoid experiencing the holiday atmosphere abroad.
Holidays always make you miss home even more.
Her phone seemed unusually quiet today, and there was nothing new on Weibo. After thinking for a while, Wu Mangmang realized it was because she hadn't reinstalled WeChat, which she had deleted before going abroad. That explained the silence.
Wu Mangmang hesitated over the App Store icon but still didn't click on it.
The entrance exam was the day after tomorrow. She couldn't afford to be distracted.
Just as she thought about not being distracted, Lu Sui's call came in. Wu Mangmang set her phone to silent and pretended not to hear it.
If not now, when else could she afford to be coy?
A proud and willful girl must make the other party grovel enough before graciously saying, "I'll let it slide this time, but I won't forgive you next time."
Even rational women, though they might smile and hint at their grievances before generously forgiving, still need to see the other party's sincerity.
Besides, Wu Mangmang had a rough idea why Lu Sui was calling. Today was the Christmas banquet at Lu Manor. Now he remembered her? Why not go find that livestreamer instead?
When the doorbell rang, Wu Mangmang saw Lu Sui through the peephole. She wasn't too surprised he was here, likely having learned from last night's lesson of not being able to get upstairs.
Wu Mangmang opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind her in front of Lu Sui. The meaning was clear enough.
"Afraid of me?" Lu Sui's lips curved slightly.
Wu Mangmang flushed. There was some truth to that—she wasn't too confident in her self-control.
"Have you eaten?" Lu Sui asked again.
Only then did Wu Mangmang belatedly notice the takeout containers in Lu Sui's hands. The packaging bore the name of a restaurant she wasn't familiar with, but if Mr. Lu approved, it couldn't be bad.
Wu Mangmang swallowed and said, "I'm not hungry."
"Want to go for a walk?" Lu Sui asked again.
"I need to study," Wu Mangmang firmly refused.
"I've already found a politics tutor for you. I'll have him come over tomorrow to help you cram for a day," Lu Sui said.
Wu Mangmang pouted. "What good will one day do?"
"They make a living off this. One day is just enough to test his skills. You have nothing to lose by trying," Lu Sui replied.
Wu Mangmang lowered her eyelids and thought for a moment, her right hand rubbing her left arm repeatedly. Finally, she said, "I can't accept favors without merit. I don't think I can accept this."Just like with the Hummer yesterday, Wu Mangmang ultimately returned the car keys to Lu Sui.
"Alright then." Lu Sui nodded, turned around, and pressed the elevator button.
Watching Lu Sui step into the elevator, Wu Mangmang thought to herself, this guy really is something—not even leaving the takeout behind, and just leaving like that. There’s absolutely no sincerity in wanting to reconcile.
After closing the door, Wu Mangmang’s mind was in complete disarray, like mud crushed by a tractor. She couldn’t focus on her political studies anymore, so she decided to just go ahead and reinstall WeChat.
The world inside didn’t stop turning just because she had disappeared for over a month. Her close friends’ explosive messages had already cycled through several rounds, and the trivial matter of her being dumped had long since "sunk to the bottom of the sea."
The latest topic was Long Xiujuan showing off the dress she planned to wear for tonight’s Christmas banquet.
This year’s theme was Indian style, and every lady’s evening gown needed to incorporate Indian elements. Long Xiujuan had prepared three outfits as options, each one stunningly beautiful.
Women are like this—they can’t resist beautiful clothes and are super eager to attend banquets where they can wear such gorgeous dresses.
Wu Mangmang had originally made up her mind that she absolutely would not be Lu Sui’s companion tonight, but since Lu Sui hadn’t even mentioned it, she now felt like she had suffered ten thousand points of emotional damage.
Especially after seeing Long Xiujuan’s smugness, she really wanted to take Lu Sui’s arm and put Long Xiujuan in her place.
Wu Mangmang quickly covered her face—too vain, not good.
By six in the evening, Lu Sui still hadn’t called or made any move, and Wu Mangmang was completely resigned.
In her heart, she summed up all the men in the world—men really are no good.
Was Lu Sui just here last night to take advantage of her?
Thinking about it, it made sense. Even though he had put in the effort physically, he hadn’t said a single meaningful word.
Mature men always leave themselves enough room to advance or retreat.
Wu Mangmang pulled herself together, turned on her computer, and prepared to go flirt with some fresh young meat in the game.
When the doorbell rang, Wu Mangmang thought it was Lu Sui. She sneered inwardly, thinking, does this guy really think I have no temper, no brains, and am easy to fool?
Wu Mangmang stood by the door with a fierce expression and looked through the peephole, only to find Ms. Liu standing outside.
She couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed or just disappointed, but her heart felt heavy and suffocated.
Even though she had decided not to forgive Lu Sui, she still hoped he would come back to endure more of her anger.
"Mom, why are you here?" Wu Mangmang asked as she opened the door.
Ms. Liu walked in and said, "Hurry up and get ready, you’re coming with me."
This startled Wu Mangmang into thinking something major had happened. She hastily grabbed her bag, still in her loungewear, and followed Ms. Liu downstairs.
It wasn’t until she was seated in front of the stylist that Wu Mangmang snapped back to reality. "Mom, what are you doing?"
Wu Mangmang’s first thought was that Lu Sui had shamelessly taken the mother-in-law route.
Wu Mangmang stood up and headed for the door. Already in a bad mood, she now felt like the whole world was bullying her.
Liu Lewei chased after her and grabbed Wu Mangmang’s hand, asking coldly, "What’s wrong with you?"
"You know!" Wu Mangmang shook off Liu Lewei’s hand."You really are something, Wu Mangmang. So what if you got dumped by a man? Have you lost the courage to even hold your head up high now? What's so special about the Lu family's banquet? If I were you, I'd straighten my back and show him how happy you are now," said Liǔ Lèwéi.
Wu Mangmang narrowed her eyes, unsure whether Ms. Liu was speaking the truth or just putting on an act. But her expression was so natural, it hardly seemed like acting.
Wu Mangmang’s heart began to race. Could it not be Lu Sui? Was she overthinking things again?
Come to think of it, what exactly was her relationship with Lu Sui now? How could Lu Sui possibly invite her to be his date at such an extremely formal event?
Wu Mangmang rubbed her forehead, feeling like her intelligence needed a top-up.
Seeing Wu Mangmang’s attitude soften, Liǔ Lèwéi snorted coldly. "Have you figured it out yet? If you have, then lift your head up for me. I went through hell and high water to get these two invitations, so don’t you dare cause any trouble."
Wu Mangmang sat back down in front of the mirror. "How did you manage to get the invitations?"
Logically speaking, Ms. Liu and she were far beneath the notice of Lu Jianan, the undisputed queen of high society in this city.
"I just got them this afternoon. There happened to be two spots open, and Jìngméi put in a good word for me, so I jumped the queue on the waiting list," Liǔ Lèwéi said, wearing a smug expression that screamed, "Your mom’s pretty impressive, huh?"
This afternoon? What an awfully convenient coincidence.
"Did Dad not get one?" Wu Mangmang asked again.
The Christmas banquet at Lu Manor had always set the bar sky-high, and invitations were strictly issued on an individual basis.
The reason Long Xiujuan was so smug this time was precisely because, although she was riding on her fiancé’s coattails, it also meant Lu Jianan had acknowledged her as a person.
Otherwise, even as Liǔ Huainan’s fiancée, she might not have received an invitation.
Boss Wu’s style naturally wouldn’t catch Lu Jianan’s eye, but Ms. Liu had been skillfully cultivating her image over the past few years and had even become friends with Shěn Jìngméi. It wasn’t impossible for her to qualify for an invitation.
"Your dad didn’t get one," Liǔ Lèwéi said without a hint of disappointment. After all, in a marriage, it’s nice to one-up your spouse once in a while.
"Then why do I have an invitation?" Wu Mangmang asked again. She wasn’t that confident in herself.
Liǔ Lèwéi replied, "You should thank Yuánlí." Shen Yuanli, also known as Xiāo Gùgōng’s girlfriend, the second daughter of the Shen family. "Even if I didn’t go, I had to make sure you went."
Wu Mangmang rolled her eyes, looking utterly listless.
"Where you fall, you get back up. Pull yourself together and don’t go crazy tonight. There’s no shame in being dumped by Lu Sui—countless women wish they had the chance to be dumped by him," Ms. Liu said.
Wu Mangmang could only scoff.
"Haven’t I already gotten back up? Do you want me to show you my Weibo? What happened with Lu Sui is ancient history. You’re the only one still bringing it up," Wu Mangmang said impatiently.
"I never liked attending these kinds of banquets anyway. If you want to go, don’t use me as an excuse," Wu Mangmang retorted."You!" Liu Lewei was so angry her stomach hurt. "Who am I doing this for? You're like the dog that bit Lü Dongbin—you don't recognize a good heart. Wu Mangmang, stop putting on airs with me. I know exactly what you're thinking. If you were really over it, would you have found a foreigner to put on a show? Weren't you always scared of chest hair since you were little?"
After all, she was her biological mother—she could even see through that.
If Wu Mangmang hadn't been so put off by William's body hair, she might have actually stayed in Italy, sailing the seas with William and living the pirate life.
Truth be told, Wu Mangmang was a bit curious about tonight's gala. After all, it was such a high-profile event—who wouldn't be curious?
Before she met Lu Sui and the others, she had spent years daydreaming with Long Xiujuan and others, boldly declaring that if she ever got to attend, she would do this and that.
Thinking back, those were such wonderful, youthful days.
Wu Mangmang sighed, feeling that dating Lu Sui had aged her.
It was mostly the mental exhaustion. With William, she didn't have to burn any brain cells.
So, Wu Mangmang half-heartedly gave in to Ms. Liu, right up until Ms. Liu brought out the outfits she had prepared.
Exquisite and luxurious!
Especially Wu Mangmang's set—the Swarovski crystals on the dress looked as if they cost nothing.
There was no way Wu Mangmang believed such a dress could be arranged in a single day.
"What's with this dress? Didn't you say you only got the invitation today?" Wu Mangmang was about to lose her temper again.
Perhaps Wu Mangmang's mood swings had angered Liu Lewei. "Wu Mangmang, are you on the wrong medication?! Why are you so irritable?"
"I prepared these two outfits a long time ago—I even prepared your father's. This year, I thought I'd finally get to easily snag an invitation thanks to you, but look how that turned out. Don't you dare be ungrateful." Liu Lewei wasn't exactly mild-tempered either.
Wu Mangmang awkwardly deflated, realizing she had overreacted.
She couldn't help but raise her hand to fan her face. Narcissism really was a disease.
Perhaps because she had misunderstood Ms. Liu too many times, Wu Mangmang was exceptionally obedient for the rest of the time, letting the stylist do as she pleased.
Short hair might be a bit tricky to style, but it was no match for an expensive stylist.
When Wu Mangmang was all dressed up, even she was stunned by her own reflection.
As she got out of the car upon arriving at Lu Manor, Wu Mangmang still felt a bit awkward. If she had really broken up with Lu Sui, she might have actually been more willing to attend the gala—just as Ms. Liu said, when you fall, you have to get back up.
But right now, her relationship with Lu Sui was unclear. He hadn't invited her, yet she showed up anyway, which made her feel like a cheap, easy catch.
Of course, from another perspective, Wu Mangmang felt she really should go—it was like facing the harsh reality of life.
Wu Mangmang followed Ms. Liu into the venue. She didn't recognize most of the people at the gala.
After all, it was no longer limited to their city. Of course, there were also many familiar faces from TV and magazines—people who could shake the ground with a single stomp.
An absolute gathering of big shots.
Wu Mangmang hadn't taken more than a few steps when she saw Lu Sui walking toward her from not far away.
"Let me take you to say hello to my aunt," Lu Sui said softly into Wu Mangmang's ear as he approached.
Wu Mangmang's hand was naturally taken into Lu Sui's palm. She subtly tried to pull away, but of course, she couldn't shake him off.
This wasn't the kind of occasion where she could act out the role of a shrewish girlfriend.Wu Mangmang could only maintain a forced smile, being pulled forward by Lu Sui under Ms. Liu’s astonished gaze.
The crowd spontaneously parted, clearing a path down the middle for the striking man and woman.
It gave Wu Mangmang the feeling of walking the Oscars red carpet.
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